VA Psychology

Training Council

MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE:

RESOURCES AND INNOVATIONS

Contributors:

Jessica Fulton, Ph.D. – Director of Training,

Internship Program, Durham VA Health Care

System

Darlene Davis, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow, Detroit

VA Medical Center

Joseph Fineman, Ph.D. – Staff Psychologist, Miami VA Healthcare System

Jessica L. Jackson, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow, VA

Greater Los Angeles Health Care System

Jessica Chen, Ph.D. – Staff Psychologist, VA Puget

Sound Health Care System

Learning objectives

Describe history and membership of VAPTC MDC

Describe 4 areas of diversity resources and

materials

Discuss ways to increase participation in/use of

MDC resources

History of MDC

Formed as VAPTC subcommittee in 2009

Mission Statement: To help VA create a culturally proficient

training programs that encompasses attention to

Recruitment and retention

Supervision

Clinical training

Research

Consultation

Program evaluation

MDC Membership: Past

Loretta Braxton, Ph.D., Durham (former Co-Chair)***

Linda Mona, Ph.D., Long Beach (former Co-Chair)***

Daryl Fujii Ph.D., Honolulu (former Co-Chair)***

Rachael Guerra Ph.D., Palo Alto (former Co-Chair, former member)***

Jay Morrison, Ph.D.,***

Lenora Brown, Ph.D.,***

Miguel Ybarra, Ph.D.,***

Velma Barrios, Ph.D., ***

Monica Roy Ph.D., Boston***

Melanie Scott Ph.D., West Haven

Rex Swanda Ph.D., Albuquerque

Sam Wan Ph.D., San Francisco

Erin Andrews Ph.D., Austin

MDC Membership: Past Aakash Kishore Ph.D., Honolulu (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Vivian Padilla-Martinez Psy.D., Bedford (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Helene Cook, Ph.D., Biloxi (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Valene Whitaker Ph.D., Bedford (Resident)

Kile Ortigo Ph.D., San Francisco (Resident)

Jessica Chen, Ph.D., Puget Sound (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Brittany Lee, Ph.D., Tennessee Valley (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Reginald Riggins, PhD, MPH, South Texas (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Orlando Sanchez, Ph.D., Minneapolis (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Berman, Ph.D., Baltimore (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Lidany Jimenez-Viloria, Psy.D., Caribbean PR (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Marci Flores Ph.D., Long Beach (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Jennifer Peraza Psy.D., Albuquerque (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Ashly Gaskin Ph.D., Durham (Postdoctoral Fellow)

MDC Membership: Past Katherine Ramos M.A., Durham (Intern)

Phillip Keck M.A., Tennessee (Intern)

Nita Makhija-Graham M.A. Puget Sound (Intern)

Hong Nguyen M.A. Palo Alto (Intern)

Gilberte Bastien, M.A., Bay Pines (Intern)

Denise Rodriguez y Ybarra, M.A., Albuquerque (Intern)

Philip Sayegh, M.A., Northern California (Intern)

Suchi Daga M.A., Houston (Intern)

Cynthia Funes, M.A., Martinez (Intern)

Quyen Sklar M.A., Portland (Intern)

Zheng Chen, Minneapolis(Intern)

Tejaswinhi Srinivas, Boston (Intern)

Janelle Smith, Albuquerque (Intern)

Jennifer Merrifield, Columbia SC (Intern)

Larry Burrell, Palo Alto (Intern)

Rosana Vasquez-Alcaraz, Fort Harrison, MT (Intern)

MDC Membership 2019-

2020 Angelic Chaison, Ph.D. - Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center(Co-Chair)

Jamylah Jackson, Ph.D., ABPP - VA North Texas Health Care System (Co-Chair)

Jessica Chen, Ph.D. - VA Puget Sound Health Care System

Joseph Fineman, Ph.D. - Miami VA Healthcare System

Jessica Fulton, Ph.D. - Durham VA Health Care System

J. Irene Harris, Ph.D. - Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Jae Yeon Jeong, Ph.D. - Baltimore VA Medical Center

Melinda Trujillo, Ph.D. - VA Portland Health Care System

Sarah Nelson (Intern Member)- VA Portland Health Care System

Jessica Walsh (Intern Member) – San Francisco VA Medical Center

Stephanie Wong (Intern Member - VA Palo Alto Health Care System

Darlene Davis, Ph.D. (Postdoc Member) - Detroit VA Medical Center

Jessica Jackson, Ph.D. (Postdoc Member) - VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Christine Rosner, Ph.D. (Postdoc Member) – Salt Lake City VA Medical Center

4 focus areas

Developing Resources

Accreditation/

Policy

Discussion Forum/

Consultation

Inclusiveness

Resource development

projects

Created

Religion/Spirituality Module

Cultural Adaptations for EBP for Trauma (PE): African American Populations

Cultural Adaptations for EBP for Social Skills Training (SST): Latino Population

Latino, Women, Microaggressions, Power Differential, Rural Health, and Disability Modules

Revised African-American Modules

Added Diversity Discussions article of the month library to SharePoint

Training modules posted on APA Division 18 Psychology in Public Service VA SharePoint

Presentation on VAPTC Multicultural Diversity at 2019 VAPLC

Resource development

project: example

Resource development

projects: future goals

Update:

LBGTQ/Transgender Module

Experiential Exercises Module

Facilitate MDC Call on how to access and utilize Experiential Exercises Module

Complete Cultural Adaptations of CPT/PE for Latino

Populations

Develop process for revising and updating MDC learning

modules

MDC Narrative Therapy recommendations as a component of

diversity training

Accreditation/Policy

Projects

Conducted needs assessment to gather data on factors for internship/residency site selection by diverse applicants

Presentation on trainee needs assessment data at 2019 VAPLC

Presentation on cultural competency within interdisciplinary teams made to American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology Conference

Completed transition of Domain D Resource (GP) to reflect SoA and placed on MDC SharePoint to increase accessibility for DCTs

Accreditation/policy

projects: example

Accreditation/policy

projects: future goals

Foster the development of multiculturally competent supervision with an emphasis on:

Increasing self-awareness

Improving supervision curriculum

Shifting away from a content specific focus to a focus on

affective learning through experiential activities

Submit results of trainee needs assessment for publication

Development of a diversity committee toolbox

Discussion forum/

consultation projects

Diversity Discussions Listserv

Article of the Month

Membership up to 388 members

Diversity Consultation Team: Quarterly Topic Calls

E.g., Promoting Cultural Competence within VA Multidisciplinary Teams(August 2018)

E.g., Social Justice and Exploring Sociopolitical Concerns

Sponsored a Roundtable Discussion on Cultural Competency within a

Multidisciplinary Team at the NMCS 2017 in Portland

Presentation on Multicultural Issues in Psychology Training at 2018

VAPLC

Presentation on Multicultural Issues in Recruitment and Retention at

APA 2019

Discussion forum/

consultation projects: example

Diversity Consultation teleconferences

Monthly on 4th Tuesdays via Skype Meeting and VANTS

Recent topics have included:

Race-Based Stress and Trauma Group Interventions (February 2018)

Religion and Spirituality (June 2018)

Structural competency (March 2019)

Standards of Accreditation – Diversity (May 2019)

Nationwide calls have generated:

Sharing of educational and clinical materials across VAs sites

New clinical offerings (e.g., groups) and didactics

Collaborations among VA psychologists at different sites

Discussion forum/

consultation projects: example

Spiritual Features of War-Related Moral Injury

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month festivals around the nations

Cultural Factors and Sexual Dysfunction

Exposure to Sexism and Implicit Gender Stereotype Bias

Labeled a Terrorist: Black Lives Matter as a movement

Fighting Bias with Board Games

Internalized Stigma Among Sexual Minorities

Racial Bias and Law Enforcement

Sexism, Language and Disability

Sexual Orientation in Military Culture

EBPs and Cultural Sensitivity

Polyculturalism/Attitudes toward Muslims

Multicultural Frameworks of Supervision

Addressing Clients’ Racism in Therapy

Moral Injury and Moral Repair

Ethics and Challenges within Rural Communities

Code Switching

Cultural Considerations relative to Military Culture

Rape Culture

Cognitive Bias

Ironic Effects of Organizational Diversity Structures

The Role of Psychologists in Social Justice

Discussion forum/consultation

projects: future goals

Grow membership and participation in Diversity Discussion

Listserv

Continued development of Diversity Consultation Team that

will include coordinating presentations and consultations on

specific topics via teleconference calls

Provide feedback to training community regarding strategies

for recruitment and retention of diverse staff/trainees

Inclusiveness projects

Compiled contact information for MDC Alumni network

Held initial gathering at VAPLC

Increased MDC trainee committee members 4 → 6

Inclusive Diversity Forum calls:

Monthly calls that provides a warm, welcoming space for VA staff

to improve diversity training and/or provide assistance in

developing a diversity committee.

This space is different then the formal diversity consultation

teleconference calls. This monthly call no pre-planned didactics

or set agenda, instead the intention is for VA staff to have a

place to exchange ideas, resources, activities and process

systemic barrier associated with starting or maintaining a diversity

program

Inclusiveness projects

Tested out MDC post on VA Pulse

MDC resources and projects introduced in Division

18 VA teleconference including goals of inclusivity

in MDC activities

Assisted with Multicultural Panel Discussion at 2017

VAPLC

Inclusiveness Projects:

example MDC Alumni Network

In early 2018, we compiled updated contact information for MDC

alumni from 2009

55# of contacts collected

37 within VA

18# now outside VA

We used the alumni network to organize an MDC networking

event at VAPLC 2018

Future goal: connect MDC alumni with junior colleagues to foster

mentorship

Inclusiveness Projects:

future goals Develop a clearinghouse of VA psychologists with diversity

expertise who would be willing to share expertise with other VA

sites

Develop Mentorship Program for Trainees (linking trainees with VA

staff in community)

The Inclusive Forum Calls serves as a means of support and

resources for VA sites to process and expand diversity training

experience

Increase participation of interested VA psychologists through

Diversity Consultation Team teleconferences and Diversity

Discussion Listserv

Exploring development of a MDC Group on VA Pulse Begin VA

Pulse diversity discussion to increase inclusiveness of VA training

community voices

Questions